Meet Our Team

G Force Sports Academy Director
Head On-Ice Coach
Shawn has experience playing and coaching the in NCAA and also played professionally. He grew up playing youth hockey and junior hockey in Washington State with three years of juniors with the Wenatchee Wild (then NAHL) from 2009-2012. He left Wenatchee as the all-time leading scorer committing to the University of Connecticut (UConn) as a leader for their transition into Hockey East. At UConn, Shawn amassed 20 or more points all four years and was an alternate captain. Shawn graduated with a degree in Accounting while maintaining over a 3.5 GPA. After college, he began his pro career in Bridgeport (AHL) then to Kansas City (ECHL). Shawn played two seasons in the minors before embarking overseas in Europe playing one season in the EIHL and receiving a Masters Degree. Retiring due to injury, Shawn immediately found himself as an NCAA coach for three seasons from 2019-2022 and then transitioned into his passion of directing developmental hockey schools here in Chicago and now serves as the Director for G Force Sports Academy.

Head of Academics
Aly VanderPlas is a Special Educator with 11 years of experience teaching and supporting teachers in General Education, Special Education and co-taught classrooms. She has co-taught multiple subject areas to 6th graders and 9th-12th graders at Field Middle School and Glenbrook South High School. Aly was Coordinator of the TEAM Department at Glenbrook South High School assisting students with learning/behavioral/emotional challenges and students with special needs. She also ran multiple Resource classes effectively helping students stay organized, work on time management, complete their school work and increase their understanding of classroom content. Aly is highly effective at collaborating with all of her students parents to ensure their understanding of any difficulties their child is experiencing and create a plan together to assist them in getting back on track as well as celebrate all of their successes.
Aly has a Bachelor’s Degree in K-Adult Special Education and a Master’s in Counseling. When she is not teaching, she is at the rink cheering on her 3 children in hockey and figure skating. Aly is passionate about ensuring students reach their full academic potential while pursuing their aspirations in their sport.

Operations Director - Mt Prospect
On-Ice Coach
We are excited to announce Jan Hejda as our new Operations Director and Head On-Ice Coach! Jan brings a wealth of experience both on and off the ice, having had a distinguished career as a professional hockey player and former Olympian.
Over his 627-game NHL career, Jan played for the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Colorado Avalanche. Internationally, Jan represented his Czech Republic national team in multiple tournaments, earning gold at the 2005 IIHF World Championship and silver in 2006. He also competed as an Olympian in the 2010 Vancouver Games.
After retiring from professional play, Jan transitioned to leadership roles in hockey operations and coaching. At GFSA Mt. Prospect, he will oversee operations, ensuring our programs continue to provide top-tier training, academics and development for athletes.

Head On-Ice Coach
Coach Nenad was a player (Forward) and assistant captain on the Serbian National Team, and captain of U18 and U20 Serbian National Teams, and Participated in 3 Olympic Qualification Tournaments. Post playing career he was a Coach and GM for a number of teams including Partizan Belgrade, Kingsville Kings, Windsor Aces and Red Star Belgrade. Coach Nenad is a renowned youth hockey coach, fostering the highest level of confidence, development and preparedness to each athlete individually.

Head On-Ice Coach
Director of Social Media
Coach Danny grew up in Bensenville, Illinois playing youth hockey for the Chicago Blues, Team Illinois, and the Chicago Mission. He currently play for the Roosevelt Lakers, where he also is attending Roosevelt University in pursuit of a double major degree in Marketing and Finance. He is involved with the production of all Gforce content. Danny has been doing media and managing social media for 2 years.
“I am super excited to be a part of a project that helps grow the game of hockey, and gives young players the information I wish I had growing up.”

Head Strength Coach
Head Mobility Coach
Ashley was born and raised in Bartlett, IL where she played basketball, volleyball, and softball. An NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach (CSCS), she received her B.A. in Physical Education, Sport, and Fitness at Carthage College where she worked with Men and Women's Lacrosse, Men and Women's Basketball, Men's Volleyball, Women's Softball, and Women's Soccer. Then furthering her education in sports and fitness by earning a Master's Degree in Human Performance and Nutrition Science from the University of Tampa. Ashley received her Doctorate in Global Sport Leadership through East Tennessee State University, traveling throughout Europe researching the operational dynamics at training facilities in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and France. She has trained a vast number of athletes in many sports - in addition to the above-mentioned sports and hockey, she also has experience training swimmers, firefighters, doctors, youth athletes, college athletes, and individuals looking to get in better shape and health overall. Ashley is the Head Performance Coach for the Chicago Mission girls program, the Elmhurst Chiefs girls program, and an all-female adult hockey team The Chicago North Stars.

Coach
Susan Goodman is an accomplished fitness and nutrition expert with years of industry experience. Currently serving as the Owner & Director of Business Operations at Goodman Elite Training, LLC, in Chicago, Glenview and Bensenville, IL, Susan oversees all aspects of the business, ensuring top-notch training experiences for all athletes and exceptional client satisfaction. Prior to this role, Susan held positions as the Director of Professional Sports for a California-based nutrition company, where she specialized in providing tailored nutrition solutions for professional athletes and teams and also served as the Vice President of Professional Sports for a hydration beverage company, where she excelled in building strategic MLB, NHL, NBA and NFL partnerships, as well as University Athletic partnerships, expanding the company's presence in the sports industry. Susan's dedication to excellence and passion for helping athletes achieve their performance goals have earned her a stellar reputation in the industry.

Born and raised in Burlington VT, Nate grew up playing AAA hockey before playing in the Eastern Hockey League for the Vermont Lumberjacks. When his playing career came to an end, he attended the University of Vermont where he obtained a BS in Exercise Science. During his time at UVM, Nate worked for Elev802 training youth hockey players. Nate is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) with NSCA. When not working with athletes, Nate trains and competes in powerlifting.